Pictures: Key players in the case against George Zimmerman

Orange County Jail/4th Circuit State Attorney/Sentinel file

The defendant in the Trayvon Martin shooting, Zimmerman has been the subject of dueling perceptions: To some, he's a cop-wannabe who racially profiled and killed an innocent teen. To others, he's a vigilant neighbor who only sought to protect his community. Zimmerman grew up in a Catholic family in Manassas, Va. His parents were a white man and a Peruvian woman, and according to family, Zimmerman grew up bilingual. Before the events of Feb. 26, 2012, George Zimmerman was working as loan-review analyst in Maitland and living in the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford. He was also nearing a degree in criminal justice from Seminole State College. Zimmerman's prior encounters with the law paint a complex portrait of his well-established interest in criminal justice: In 2005, the same year he was also accused of domestic violence in civil court, Zimmerman was arrested, accused of shoving a state alcohol agent at a bar near the University of Central Florida. In 2008, Zimmerman applied to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office citizens' law-enforcement academy. After a Sanford police lieutenant's son punched a homeless man in December 2010, but wasn't immediately arrested, Zimmerman passed out protest flyers, his family said. At a forum shortly thereafter, he blasted the police as lazy. Later, he took a leadership role in organizing his community's Neighborhood Watch, amid a string of burglaries, some reportedly perpetrated by black teens. He often reported people he found suspicious to police. The last was Trayvon. Is Zimmerman racist? Reports released so far from an FBI civil rights investigation have turned up little to say he is. However, a former coworker accused Zimmerman of racial insults, and a relative, who also says Zimmerman molested her when they were both children, told investigators Zimmerman and his kin don't like black people. Since the shooting, Zimmerman has lived in hiding. He has been unemployed and has gained a significant amount of weight.

The defendant in the Trayvon Martin shooting, Zimmerman has been the subject of dueling perceptions: To some, he's a cop-wannabe who racially profiled and killed an innocent teen. To others, he's a vigilant neighbor who only sought to protect his community. Zimmerman grew up in a Catholic family in Manassas, Va. His parents were a white man and a Peruvian woman, and according to family, Zimmerman grew up bilingual. Before the events of Feb. 26, 2012, George Zimmerman was working as loan-review analyst in Maitland and living in the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford. He was also nearing a degree in criminal justice from Seminole State College. Zimmerman's prior encounters with the law paint a complex portrait of his well-established interest in criminal justice: In 2005, the same year he was also accused of domestic violence in civil court, Zimmerman was arrested, accused of shoving a state alcohol agent at a bar near the University of Central Florida. In 2008, Zimmerman applied to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office citizens' law-enforcement academy. After a Sanford police lieutenant's son punched a homeless man in December 2010, but wasn't immediately arrested, Zimmerman passed out protest flyers, his family said. At a forum shortly thereafter, he blasted the police as lazy. Later, he took a leadership role in organizing his community's Neighborhood Watch, amid a string of burglaries, some reportedly perpetrated by black teens. He often reported people he found suspicious to police. The last was Trayvon. Is Zimmerman racist? Reports released so far from an FBI civil rights investigation have turned up little to say he is. However, a former coworker accused Zimmerman of racial insults, and a relative, who also says Zimmerman molested her when they were both children, told investigators Zimmerman and his kin don't like black people. Since the shooting, Zimmerman has lived in hiding. He has been unemployed and has gained a significant amount of weight. (Orange County Jail/4th Circuit State Attorney/Sentinel file)

In protests after his death, thousands rallied around Trayvon Martin as a symbol for innocent victims of prejudice. But Zimmerman's defense team has shown they plan to cast the Miami Gardens junior in a much darker light at trial. Trayvon was described after the shooting by family, friends and teachers as a caring teen and talented athlete who got good grades, was good with his hands and who aspired to fly airplanes someday. His father, Tracy Martin, says Trayvon was his best friend. Photos on the teen's social media accounts showed the father and son fishing together. In 2004, Trayvon rescued his father from a house fire, family said. In protests after his shooting -- where marchers rallied around the cry of "We are Trayvon Martin" -- the teen was portrayed as an innocent kid, carrying only a soft drink and candy, who was killed by a vigilante. But as the case has developed, Trayvon's sterling image has been tarnished. Reports revealed that he'd been suspended from school for an empty marijuana baggie just before the shooting and that Miami-Dade school officials had once found women's jewelry in his backpack along with a burglary tool. An autopsy found the presence of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, in Trayvon's body. Then, Zimmerman's attorneys revealed data from his cell phone, including text messages about being a fighter and smoking marijuana. The phone also contained, according to the defense records, photos of what appear to be marijuana plants, as well as a handgun and Trayvon blowing smoke. It remains unclear what jurors will see and hear about the teen's past at trial. Attorneys for his family insist it's irrelevant to his killing.

In protests after his death, thousands rallied around Trayvon Martin as a symbol for innocent victims of prejudice. But Zimmerman's defense team has shown they plan to cast the Miami Gardens junior in a much darker light at trial. Trayvon was described after the shooting by family, friends and teachers as a caring teen and talented athlete who got good grades, was good with his hands and who aspired to fly airplanes someday. His father, Tracy Martin, says Trayvon was his best friend. Photos on the teen's social media accounts showed the father and son fishing together. In 2004, Trayvon rescued his father from a house fire, family said. In protests after his shooting -- where marchers rallied around the cry of "We are Trayvon Martin" -- the teen was portrayed as an innocent kid, carrying only a soft drink and candy, who was killed by a vigilante. But as the case has developed, Trayvon's sterling image has been tarnished. Reports revealed that he'd been suspended from school for an empty marijuana baggie just before the shooting and that Miami-Dade school officials had once found women's jewelry in his backpack along with a burglary tool. An autopsy found the presence of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, in Trayvon's body. Then, Zimmerman's attorneys revealed data from his cell phone, including text messages about being a fighter and smoking marijuana. The phone also contained, according to the defense records, photos of what appear to be marijuana plants, as well as a handgun and Trayvon blowing smoke. It remains unclear what jurors will see and hear about the teen's past at trial. Attorneys for his family insist it's irrelevant to his killing. (Trayvon Martin family/GZLegalCase.com)